Support for mothers, fathers and families after perinatal death

Abstract

Provision of an empathetic caring environment, and strategies to enable the mother, father and family to accept the reality of perinatal death, are now an accepted part of standard nursing and social support in most of the developed world. Provision of interventions such as psychological support or counselling, or both, has been suggested to improve outcomes for families after a perinatal death. The objective of this review was to assess the effects of the provision of any form of medical, nursing, social or psychological support or counselling, or both, to mother, father and families after perinatal death. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (30 October 2007) and reference lists of articles. Randomised trials of any form of general support aimed at encouraging acceptance of loss, specific bereavement counselling, or specialised psychological support/counselling including psychotherapy for mother, father and families experiencing perinatal death. Two review authors independently assessed eligibility of trials; a third person subsequently assessed the quality of the identified trials as a part of this review update. No trials were included. There is currently insufficient information available from randomised trials to indicate whether there is or is not a benefit from interventions which aim to provide psychological support or counselling for mothers, fathers or families after perinatal death. Methodologically rigorous trials are needed.